Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Climate Change: Finance

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to publish international climate finance disbursement data as part of future reports on (a) UK climate finance results and (b) statistics on international development.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Details of all programmes funded through UK International Climate Finance (ICF), including disbursements, are published on the development tracker website (Development Tracker (fcdo.gov.uk)). An ICF filter has been made available in order to support greater transparency. We continue to consider ways in which we can improve the transparency of our ICF.

Indonesia: Forests

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Indonesia on sustainable forest management, signed in October 2022, in what way that agreement will help increase protection of customary forest areas and strengthen forest management by customary law communities.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Indonesian counterpart on the steps the Indonesian Government is taking to (a) engage with Indonesian indigenous peoples’ organisations and (b) ensure indigenous peoples’ participation in future agreements on the implementation of the bilateral agreement on sustainable forest management between the UK and Indonesia signed in October 2022.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether indigenous peoples’ organisations in Indonesia will be part of the planned Joint Consultative Working Group and a Joint Technical Working Group developing agreements related to the bilateral agreement between the UK and Indonesia on sustainable forest management.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK has supported the protection of customary forest areas in Indonesia through the UK-aid funded SETAPAK programme. The programme has supported indigenous peoples' groups to work with government to enhance legal protection of their customary land and to engage in participatory mapping. Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park has been discussing the Indonesia-UK Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning cooperation on Indonesia's Forestry and Other Land Use Net Sink 2030 with the Indonesian Government for several months. This includes how our cooperation can support positive outcomes for all Indonesian people, as well as for the participants and mechanisms set out in on the MoU, including the Joint Consultative Working Group.

Health Services: Hygiene

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the joint report from the APPG for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and the APPG on Antibiotics entitled Prevention first: why clean water and hygiene are the best medicine against the spread of drug-resistant infections, published February 2023, what steps the Department is taking to help improve water, sanitation and hygiene in healthcare facilities to prevent antibiotic resistance.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO recognises the importance that clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in healthcare facilities has in preventing the spread of infection and reducing the need for antimicrobials globally.The UK helped found the WASH In Healthcare Facilities international taskforce, and we push forward this agenda through our programming such as our innovative hand hygiene partnership with Unilever and through our core multilateral funding including to the World Bank and the World Health Organisation. At UN Water 2023 the UK announced £18.5 million of new funding to help strengthen WASH systems, an important step for helping improve WASH services in health care facilities.

Palestinians: Prisoners

Nicola Richards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the implications for the Middle East peace process of the Palestinian Authority's practice of paying salaries to prisoners convicted of terrorist offences.

David Rutley: The UK remains resolute in its commitment to Israel's security. Our clear and long-standing message to the Palestinian Authority (PA) is that the prisoner payments system should be reformed so that it is needs-based, transparent and affordable. The British Consulate General Jerusalem regularly raises this issue with the Palestinian Authority. This is also a matter that the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon discussed with Israeli Ambassador Hotovely in their 21 April meeting. We also have robust safeguards in place to ensure that no UK aid is used for payments to Palestinian prisoners, or their families.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Defence

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) accountability and (b) transparency of operations carried out by military and intelligence agencies stationed in the Chagos Islands.

David Rutley: All activity carried out by the joint UK/US facility on Diego Garcia is consistent with international law. There are no steps actively being undertaken to improve the accountability and transparency of operations carried out by military and intelligence agencies stationed in the British Indian Ocean Territory/Chagos Archipelago as we believe that they are adequate, although we do keep these under constant review.

Transcaucasus: Roads

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the capacity of (a) the United Nations and (b) other humanitarian agencies to airlift people from the Lachin corridor.

Leo Docherty: Although the UK Government has not made a specific assessment of airlift capabilities, we remain in close contact with humanitarian agencies to understand the situation and needs of individuals on the ground. The UK Government has been vocal about the importance of re-opening the Lachin Corridor and will continue to support constructive dialogue in further contacts between the Armenian and Azerbaijani Governments in the coming months.

Developing Countries: Children

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that the psychosocial needs of children are being met in (i) fragile and conflict-affected states and (ii) other humanitarian contexts.

Leo Docherty: As part of our role on the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), we call for access to non-discriminatory and comprehensive specialised services, including psychosocial support for children affected by conflict.The FCDO has recently funded a project to provide protection services for children in Yemen; over 1300 children accessed high quality and safe psychosocial support.Our UNICEF funding supports children in humanitarian situations who experience or are at risk of sexual violence including projects like the Blue Dot Shelters, which provide a safe space for families and children on the move in emergencies.

Chelsea Football Club: Sales

Nicola Richards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to allow proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club to be made available to UK charities for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine.

Leo Docherty: In a statement announcing the sale of Chelsea FC and in subsequent statements, Mr Abramovich stated that a charitable foundation would be set up, where all net proceeds from the sale would be donated. Humanitarian experts outside of Government are now responsible for the highly complex process to establish this foundation to manage and distribute the proceeds for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine. The proceeds are currently frozen in a UK bank account. Any movement of the proceeds requires a licence from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation.

Developing Countries: Education

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) help tackle (i) child labour, (ii) child marriage, (iii) malnutrition and (iv) other barriers to education and (b) improve (A) access to education and (B) learning outcomes in fragile and conflict-affected states.

Leo Docherty: Addressing barriers to education is an FCDO priority. When learning outcomes are poor, lower value is placed on education and girls are more likely to drop out of school. This can lead to child marriage or child labour. We have invested in research programmes to understand how best to tackle learning poverty, including links to nutrition. The UK is also a leading donor to Education Cannot Wait. ECW supports conflict or crises-affected children - the largest group of out-of-school children facing increased risk of exploitation. Through UK support since 2017 ECW has reached seven million children in over 30 countries.

Israel: Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Palestinian Authority on recent attacks on Israel by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

David Rutley: We closely monitor the security situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The UK has proscribed the organisation known as Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) as a terrorist entity since March 2001. PIJ and other terrorist groups must cease all actions that are violent or provocative, or that put civilian lives at risk. The Minister for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon last met with Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riad Malki on 5 May, before the recent outbreak of violence. As the Foreign Secretary said in his 14 May statement, we welcome the current Egyptian-brokered ceasefire and urge all sides to de-escalate tensions.

West Bank: Lions' Den and Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Nicola Richards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for the Middle East peace process of the emergence of (a) Palestinian Islamic Jihad and (b) Lions’ Den terror cells in the West Bank.

David Rutley: We continue to closely monitor the security situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The UK has proscribed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) as a terrorist entity since March 2001. PIJ and other terrorist groups including the Lions' Den must cease all actions that are violent or provocative, or that put civilian lives at risk. There can be no justification for such acts of violence. Every Israeli and Palestinian has the right to live in peace and security. As the Foreign Secretary said in his 14 April statement, the UK will support all efforts to promote dialogue and create a pathway towards a sustainable peace.

Israel: Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his international counterparts on the implications for the Middle East peace process of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group firing rockets towards Israel.

David Rutley: We continue to closely monitor the security situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The UK has proscribed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) as a terrorist entity since March 2001. PIJ and other terrorist groups must cease all actions that are violent or provocative, or that put civilian lives at risk. The UK condemns the indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza targeting innocent civilians in Israel and welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and militant factions in Gaza, brokered by Egypt, following the recent round of conflict. The ceasefire must now be honoured to prevent the loss of further civilian life. The UK will support all efforts to promote dialogue and create a pathway towards sustainable peace.

Israel: Terrorism

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help support Israel to tackle terror threats.

David Rutley: We are appalled by terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens. There can be no justification for such acts of violence. Every Israeli and Palestinian has the right to live in peace and security. We continue to closely monitor the security situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The UK Government remains resolute in its commitment to Israel's security. The UK condemns the indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza targeting innocent civilians in Israel and welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and militant factions in Gaza, brokered by Egypt, following the recent round of conflict. The ceasefire must now be honoured to prevent the loss of further civilian life. The UK will support all efforts to promote dialogue and create a pathway towards sustainable peace.

International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the speech by the Prime Minister to the Conservative Friends of Israel on 16 December 2022, what recent progress his Department has made on assessing the potential merits of supporting the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace.

David Rutley: The UK Government remains in close contact with the US Government about the US Middle East Partnership for Peace Act and how existing peace-building projects and funding can better support the goals of this Act. We share the objective of advancing economic, social, and political connections, and peaceful co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians. We stand ready to collaborate and coordinate further.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Defence

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department made of the annual cost to the Government of maintaining military installations and infrastructure in the Chagos Islands.

David Rutley: There are ongoing costs to maintain the military installations and infrastructure on the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) to ensure the continual effective operation of the joint UK/US base on Diego Garcia. The FCDO provides annual funding to the BIOT Administration, which covers wider civilian maintenance costs.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Waste

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will provide local authorities with powers to reduce residual waste from (a) domestic and (b) commercial properties.

Rebecca Pow: We have set a statutory target under The Environmental Targets (Residual Waste) (England) Regulations 2023 to ensure that the total mass of residual waste (excluding major mineral wastes) for 2042 does not exceed 287 kg per person. This is the equivalent of a 50% reduction from 2019 levels. We are introducing Consistency in recycling in England. This will give local authorities the legal framework to increase recycling and in turn, reduce residual waste. We also intend to publish our new Maximising Resources, Minimising Waste programme this summer. This will set out priorities for action to manage resources and waste in accordance with the waste hierarchy.

Countryside: Bus Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the importance of urban to rural bus services for public access to the natural environment.

Trudy Harrison: The National Bus Strategy (published in March 2021) is explicit about seeking to ensure that the needs of rural transport users are given equal consideration to those in urban environments and is supportive of improved connectivity and availability of services in rural areas.

Camping Sites

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to help support people to engage in wild camping in areas designated for the right to roam.

Trudy Harrison: There is no right to wild camp on open access land unless with permission of the landowner. It is a matter for landowners to determine whether wild camping should be permitted such as through the use of permissive agreements.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Owner Occupation

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of promoting oikophilia in communities.

Dehenna Davison: Restoring local pride is a critical part of the levelling up agenda. Pride in Place is one of the twelve missions set out in the Levelling Up White Paper. It brings together both the physical and social drivers that affect people's perception of place, including their sense of community and home. The Government is deepening our understanding of the evidence that drives local pride, and working with experts to understand the merits and efficacy of many different approaches to build pride in place in communities.

Community Ownership Fund: Barnet

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many community ownership fund applications have been made in (a) Hendon constituency and (b) the London Borough of Barnet since the establishment of that fund.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding was awarded through the community ownership fund to applicants in (a) Hendon constituency and (b) the London Borough of Barnet since the establishment of that fund.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many applications to the community ownership fund have been made by the London Borough of Barnet since the establishment of that fund.

Dehenna Davison: To date we have received one application to the COF from a project in the London Borough of Barnet. This project was based in the constituency of Hendon. The application in question fell short of the minimum scoring criteria, as published on gov.uk, and so was unsuccessful.  All projects are informed which sections of the application form they failed and are invited to submit another bid to the fund in the future. We also now have a delivery support provider who will be able to provide guidance and support prospective applicants ahead of them submitting an application.

Local Government: Cultural Heritage

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will take steps to issue guidelines to ensure that county days are principally used to celebrate historic counties rather than administrative areas of county councils.

Dehenna Davison: The Government attaches great importance to the history and traditions of this country. I am happy to confirm to my Hon. Friend that guidance for local authorities was published in 2019, which emphasises the significance of historic counties.

Housing: Multiple Occupation

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of houses of multiple occupancy on community cohesion and anti-social behaviour.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of rooms in houses of multiple occupancy available in (a) London and (b) England.

Rachel Maclean: The Government recently launched a plan to crack down on antisocial behaviour, restoring people’s confidence that these crimes will be quickly and visibly punished. This plan includes a commitment to produce comprehensive guidance for landlords to ensure they understand the tools available to tackle and evidence anti-social behaviour.Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) play an important role in the private rented sector and can provide relatively low-cost accommodation. Where there are problems with HMOs and anti-social behaviour, local authorities have powers to introduce HMO licence conditions which require landlords of licensable HMOs to take steps to prevent or reduce anti-social behaviour caused by tenants or visitors.The department gathers data from local authorities on the estimated number of HMOs annually. The latest returns can be found here.

Inter Faith Network for the United Kingdom: Finance

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2023 to Question 182308 on Inter Faith Network for the United Kingdom: Finance, for what reason his Department will stop funding the Inter Faith Network in the 2023-24 financial year.

Dehenna Davison: This department has provided funding to the Inter Faith Network UK since 2006/07. When making funding decisions, the Government considers a wide range of factors, including government priorities and current budgetary pressures. The department monitors all funded organisations throughout the lifecycle of their project for the purposes of assessing delivery against workplan targets, compliance and evaluation, in line with best practice for the management of public funding.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Equal Pay

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if their Department will publish an Ethnicity Pay Gap Report for financial year 2023-24 in line with the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance for employers published on 17 April 2023.

Dehenna Davison: The Cabinet Office is working with other government departments to consider the details of the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance published in April. More generally the Civil Service is undertaking extensive work both centrally and within departments to promote diversity across its workplaces, including ethnicity.

Social Rented Housing: Pets

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing safeguards to ensure that tenants with pets (a) have secure tenancies and (b) cannot have permission to keep a pet easily revoked by landlords.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to provide guidance to (a) landlords and (b) property agents on (i) accepting tenants with pets and (ii) promoting responsible pet ownership.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing (a) incentives and (b) training programmes to help encourage landlords to accept tenants with pets without the need for legal intervention.

Rachel Maclean: Further to the answer given to Question UIN 185473 on 22 May 2023, the Government knows that Pets can bring a huge amount of joy to their owners. We are committed to supporting responsible pet ownership in the private rented sector. The Renters (Reform) Bill will ensure landlords do not unreasonably withhold consent when a tenant requests to have a pet in their home, with the tenant able to challenge unfair decisions.This does not mean that there will be a blanket obligation on all landlords to accept any pet in every property. We will publish full guidance for landlords and tenants before new rules come into place. Such guidance will help clarify the situation for all sides.We know that some landlords are concerned about potential damage caused by pets. That is why the Renters (Reform) Bill will allow landlords to require insurance covering pet damage. This will provide landlords with reassurance that any damage caused by a pet can be taken care of, and that the responsibility for preventing and resolving damage caused by a pet will fall to the tenant.I am happy to discuss this matter further with my Hon. Friend.

Camping Sites: Licensing

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he has made an assessment of the potential merits of permanently extending the 28 day planning rule to 56 nights for pop-up campsites.

Rachel Maclean: We have recently consulted on the introduction of a new permitted development right to support temporary recreational campsites for up to 60 days per year. The consultation closed on Tuesday 25 April 2023 and further announcements will be made in due course. Further details can be found at the following link.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Broadband: Prices

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether social tariffs overwrite existing broadband contracts for people in receipt of (a) Pension Credit, (b) Employment and Support Allowance, (c) Jobseekers' Allowance, (d) Income Support, (e) Personal Independence Payments and (f) Attendance Allowance.

Sir John Whittingdale: Social tariffs are high-quality, low-cost broadband and mobile offers for those in receipt of Universal Credit as well as other means-tested benefits. Offered by a range of providers - including BT, Virgin Media, Sky and Vodafone - social tariffs are available in 99% of the UK starting at £10 per month.Eligibility criteria for social tariffs are set by individual providers. While these vary, Universal Credit is a key eligibility criteria, and a significant number also include other means-tested benefits such as Pension Credit, Employment Support Allowance, Job Seekers Allowance, Income Support, Personal Independence Payments or Attendance Allowance. We do not hold data on the number of people ineligible for a social tariff with any of the 19 individual providers.However, in June 2022, following our negotiations, the major broadband and mobile operators agreed a set of public commitments to support any customer struggling to pay their bills, not just those on benefits. This includes management payment plans or allowing households, who may be mid-contract, to switch to cheaper packages without penalty. We have also been clear with operators that we expect those unable to match a competitor’s social tariff to allow customers to leave - without penalty - so that they may take up that offer.In regards to whether social tariffs overwrite existing contracts, it is our understanding that when any customer agrees a new service with their provider - including a social tariff - their existing contract is replaced.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Equal Pay

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if their Department will publish an Ethnicity Pay Gap Report for financial year 2023-24 in line with the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance for employers published on 17 April 2023.

George Freeman: We are currently considering the best way to approach Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting in the Civil Service. The Civil Service is looking to develop a consistent methodology to be used in departments to produce the data.We are working with Civil Service HR to work through the detail so the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance which was published on 17 April 2023.

Directors: Public Appointments

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department takes to vet the (a) financial interests and (b) potential conflicts of interest of non-executive board members before their appointment.

George Freeman: In accordance with the code of practice for corporate governance in central government departments, the Department requires non-executive directors to declare sources of renumeration, contracts, shares and securities, non-financial interests, and related party interests that may influence, or may be perceived to influence, their judgement as a board member. During the recruitment and onboarding process for non-executive directors my department conducts its own due diligence to make sure that office holders meet the standards set out in the code of conduct for board members. The Department reviews any real or potential conflicts of interests declared and publishes these, with any mitigating action taken, in the Department’s annual governance statement.

Science: USA

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to promote scientific collaboration with the United States; and if she will publish examples of successful collaboration supported by her Department.

George Freeman: The UK and US have a longstanding relationship on science, innovation and technology. In 2017 we signed a Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement, reaffirmed under the Atlantic Charter in 2021 at Carbis Bay. Additional mechanisms include joint statements on cooperation in AI and Quantum, and the US-UK Comprehensive Dialogue on Technology and Data announced in October 2022. UK and US collaborations are being supported through the £119 million International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) in Clean Energy and Climate Change, AI and Quantum. UKRI works in partnership with many US funding agencies. Examples of collaborations are published on the UKRI website: https://ukri.org.

Department for Education

Kathleen Stock

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies on freedom of speech at universities of attempts to cancel an appearance at the Oxford Union by Professor Kathleen Stock; and if she will make a statement.

Claire Coutinho: The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will place duties upon registered higher education providers, their colleges and students’ unions to take steps to ensure freedom of speech.Visiting speakers will be protected, and if they have suffered adverse consequences because of a breach of the duties of a provider, college or students’ union, they will be able to make a complaint using a new free-to-use complaints scheme, which will be operated by the Office for Students.

Children: Gender Dysphoria

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on whether schools should tell unsupportive parents that their children are trans and gender questioning.

Nick Gibb: The Department believes that all pupils should be supported whilst growing up. Schools, colleges and teachers are committed to supporting all pupils and students to thrive and reach their potential in a safe and respectful environment.All schools and colleges must have regard to the Department’s 'Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE)' statutory guidance, when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils. The KCSIE statutory guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2.The Department is working with the Minister for Women and Equalities to develop guidance to support schools in relation to gender questioning pupils.

Schools: Bullying

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the guidance to support schools in relation to transgender pupils will include measures to help tackle transphobic bullying.

Nick Gibb: The Government has sent a clear message that bullying should never be tolerated, and the Department is committed to supporting schools to tackle it. The Department provides guidance for schools, which outlines schools’ responsibilities, and makes clear that schools should make appropriate provision for a bullied child’s social, emotional, and mental health needs. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying.The Department is working with the Minister for Women and Equalities to develop guidance to support schools in relation to supporting gender questioning pupils.The Department has provided over £2 million of funding, between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2023, to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. This includes projects targeting bullying of particular groups, such as those who are victims of hate related bullying and homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.The Department is ensuring all pupils in England will learn about respectful relationships, in person and online, as part of new mandatory relationships, sex and health education. The subject is designed to give pupils the knowledge they need to lead happy, safe, and healthy lives, and to foster respect for other people and for difference.All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which outlines measures to encourage good behaviour and prevent all forms of bullying amongst pupils. The policy should set out the behaviour expected of pupils, the sanctions that will be imposed for misbehaviour, and rewards for good behaviour. This should be communicated to all pupils, school staff and parents. This is supported by ‘Respectful School Communities’, a self-review and signposting tool to support schools to develop a whole school approach which promotes respect and discipline. The tool is available at: https://educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/. This can combat bullying, harassment, and prejudice of any kind, including hate based bullying.

Schools: Uniforms

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Cost of school uniforms, published on 19 November 2021, whether her Department has received any complaints from parents and carers on school compliance with the statutory guidance.

Nick Gibb: At the time of writing, the Department has received three complaints about school compliance with the statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms.

Home Office

Asylum: Housing

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the ability of asylum seekers to be provided with alternative dispersal accommodation if they are evicted from a house of multiple occupancy.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation whilst their application for asylum is being considered.In the circumstances where a property was no longer available or a landlord no longer wished to contract with our accommodation providers then if the person was still entitled to asylum support they would be moved to appropriate accommodation elsewhere, dependent upon their specific need.

Immigration: Enforcement

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2023 to Question 177955 on Immigration: Enforcement, whether those outcomes will be (a) recorded and (b) monitored in the interim period before the Migrant Victims Protocol is established.

Robert Jenrick: The outcomes will not be recorded or monitored prior to the Migrant Victims Protocol being established.

Shoplifting

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the (a) implications for her policies of and (b) the potential impact of increases in the cost of living on trends in the level of shoplifting incidents.

Chris Philp: The Home Office works closely with retailers and trade organisations such as the British Retail Consortium (BRC), Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) and the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW), and police partners via the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) to understand the crime trends retailers are experiencing. Recent discussions at the NRCSG have included the impact of the cost of living on crime such as shoplifting, and we continue to keep this under review.The NRCSG has produced practical resources to provide guidance on partnership working and encourage engagement with Business Crime Reduction Partnerships (BCRPs) to help ensure businesses and police can work effectively together to identify the trends and types of crimes that affect businesses and to ensure incidents are dealt with appropriately.We also work closely with the police-led National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) to help prevent crime against businesses. The NBCC has undertaken a number of Safer Action Business Days (SABA) across the country, where police, BCRPs and retailers work in partnership to carry out days of action to deliver a focussed operation with joint patrols, targeted intervention  of offenders and a range of crime prevention activities.Police recorded offences in England and Wales (excluding Devon and Cornwall) for shoplifting and all theft offences for year ending December 2022 are showing a fall of 12% and 13% respectively compared with the pre-pandemic period of March 2020.Volumes data for shoplifting from police recorded crime (PRC) data should be interpreted with caution due to under reporting of shoplifting. Therefore, the volumes presented here are likely to underestimate the true level of shoplifting.

Retail Trade: Crimes of Violence

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to protect shopworkers from violence and abuse by customers in their place of work.

Chris Philp: The Government is clear that violence and abuse towards any worker is not acceptable.Last year we introduced a statutory aggravating factor for assault against any public facing workers via section 156 of the Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. This applies in cases of assault where an offence is committed against those performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This legislative change ensures the courts treat the public-facing nature of a victim’s role as an aggravating factor when considering the sentence for an offence.The Home Office continues to work closely with retailers, trade associations and the police through the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) to encourage retailers to work with police so that crimes are effectively dealt with at a local level. The NRCSG has produced practical resources to assist retailers to report crimes when they occur. These are available here.The Home Office-funded #ShopKind campaign is also key to getting the message across that violence and abuse towards retail workers across the country will not be tolerated. The campaign asks the public to consider their behaviour and shop with kindness.Police recorded offences in England and Wales (excluding Devon and Cornwall) for shoplifting and all theft offences for year ending December 2022 are showing a fall of 12% and 13% respectively compared with the pre-pandemic period of March 2020.Volumes data for shoplifting from police recorded crime (PRC) data should be interpreted with caution due to under reporting of shoplifting. Therefore, the volumes presented here are likely to underestimate the true level of shoplifting.Across England and Wales we now have the highest number of police officers on record with over 149,500 officers.As a result of the unprecedented police recruitment drive we have recruited over 20,000 additional officers. That means that there are now over 3,500 more officers in England and Wales than the previous peak in 2010.

Antisocial Behaviour: Arrests and Prosecutions

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) arrests and (b) prosecutions for antisocial behaviour there were in (i) Enfield North, (ii) the London Borough of Enfield and (iii) London in each year since 2010.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects and publishes data on arrests for notifiable offences in England and Wales, by financial year, available here: Police powers and procedures England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)However, the data are collected by wider offence group, therefore data on more specific offences such as antisocial behaviour are not available.Additionally, the data are collected by Police Force Area only (e.g. the Metropolitan Police, City of London Police), therefore the number of arrests at lower geographical areas such as Enfield North and the London Borough of Enfield are not available.The Ministry of Justice publishes information on prosecutions as part of the quarterly ‘Criminal Justice System’ statistical bulletin, available here: Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: December 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)The outcomes by offence data tool provides a breakdown of prosecutions by offence type, including offences which would be considered antisocial behaviour.The Crime Survey for England and Wales for year to December 2022, show that criminal damage down 68% compared with March 2010.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which Department or agency is responsible for acquiring accommodation in the UK for ARAP-eligible Afghan nationals in British High Commission-funded hotels in Pakistan; and what the Government's timeline is for the acquisitions to meet the (a) demand and (b) the future need of those people eligible who are based in Afghanistan.

Robert Jenrick: A cross department approach is being taken to support Afghans arriving in the UK. It is vital that those arriving have somewhere suitable to stay once they are in the UK. Hotels are not suitable for accommodation and so, we continue to work closely with local authorities, Ministry of Defence and Housing Department to source more suitable accommodation, from which Afghans can properly rebuild their lives.

Immigration: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of levels of public support for the Illegal Migration Bill among young people.

Robert Jenrick: No formal assessment has been made. The Bill commands the support of the vast majority of the British public who expect immigration to be orderly, controlled and fair.

Asylum: Housing

Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has placed controls on the ability of the migrants on the barge at Portland Port to come and go at will.

Robert Jenrick: As with all asylum accommodation sites will be non-detained. There will be no curfew. As a matter of routine, if someone is late returning from a visit off the site, they will be contacted for to ascertain their whereabouts. The vessel will be managed by an experienced accommodation provider under contractual terms agreed with the Home Office. The same supplier has safely and successfully managed two vessels for Ukrainian refugees for the Scottish Government over the past year. It is being designed to minimise the impact on local communities and services.

Overseas Students: Visas

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many student visa applications were refused ineach year since 1997.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes data on student visas in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the refusals of student visas are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the time period ranging from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2022.The Home Office does not publish information on student visas outcomes before 1 January 2005.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Overseas Students: Visas

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who overstayed their student visas were removed from the UK in each year since 1997.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who entered the UK on family visas were removed for overstaying their visas in each year since 1997.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals on visitors visas have overstayed their visas in each year since 1997.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals on visitors visas who overstayed their visas were removed from the UK in each year since 1997.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals who entered the UK under the Seasonal Worker visa scheme overstayed their visas in each year for which data are available.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who entered the UK under the Seasonal Worker visa scheme were removed for overstaying their visas in each year for which data is available

Robert Jenrick: These figures are not available in a reportable format and providing this information could only be done at disproportionate cost.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2023 to Question 181358 on Afghanistan: Refugees, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing a scheme equivalent to the Homes for Ukraine scheme on the availability of accommodation in the UK for the approximately (a) 218 principals and 968 dependents assessed eligible under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy Scheme and (b) 74 principals and 230 dependents assessed eligible under the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme, who are in UK-funded accommodation in Pakistan and other third countries; and if she will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help relocate some of the most at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 24,500 vulnerable people to safety, including thousands of people eligible for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).It is vital that those arriving have somewhere suitable to stay once they are in the UK. So, for those on ACRS and ARAP whom we have not yet brought to the UK, we will only facilitate travel where suitable accommodation can be secured ahead of arrival. This includes where individuals can be supported to arrange accommodation themselves.We continue to work closely with local authorities as well as the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Ministry of Defence to source suitable accommodation, in order to be able to welcome more Afghans.   The UK already operates a scheme which enables civil society to provide housing and provide integration support to refugees resettled to the UK. This scheme is open to refugees of all nationalities who are referred through the UK Resettlement Scheme or the ACRS, including those currently in hotels in the UK.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer 17 May 2023 to Question 184350 on Refugees: Afghanistan, how many of those eligible in the first stage of ACRS Pathway 3 have been resettled in the UK.

Robert Jenrick: Since 31 December 2022, the UK has granted settled status to over 7,600 individuals under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) as a whole. We have welcomed the first arrivals to the UK under the first stage of Pathway 3 and look forward to welcome all remaining individuals under this stage as soon as practicable.Further information on the number of individuals resettled under this pathway will be detailed in the next edition of the quarterly Immigration Statistics. The latest release is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets

Immigration: Fees and Charges

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a fee waiver for indefinite leave to remain applications for young people on the five-year route to settlement under the Immigration Rules Appendix Private Life who can demonstrate that they cannot afford the fee after meeting essential living costs.

Robert Jenrick: The right to stay indefinitely is one of the most valuable entitlements offered for those seeking to enter or remain in the UK, and it is right that the fee should be higher than most for migrants staying temporarily in the UK.A grant of indefinite leave to remain is not necessary to enable people to remain in the UK on the basis of their Article 8 or other ECHR rights, as these can be met through a grant of limited leave to remain. The provision of an affordability-based waiver for limited leave on family and private life routes allows an individual or family to remain here lawfully, and to then apply for settlement and pay the fee when the funds become available. As such, there are no plans to waive the fee for indefinite leave to remain.

Asylum: Portland Port

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2023 to Question 184264 on Asylum: Portland Port, for how many people the barge to be used was originally designed.

Robert Jenrick: The Bibby Stockholm capacity and configuration varies dependent on client requests. The accommodation barge at Portland Port will have a capacity of 506 asylum seekers. The vessel will contain multiple occupancy rooms that are an appropriate size for the number of occupants in the appropriate space standard. The vessel will always remain in line with marine industry safety regulations and meet all statutory requirements.

Members: Correspondence

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Minister for Immigration plans to respond to the letter from We Belong, delivered to her Department on 19 April 2023.

Robert Jenrick: The letter of 19 April 2023 has been received by the Home Office and a response will be issued in due course.

Overseas Students: Visas

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who entered the UK on student visas overstayed their visas in each year since 1997.

Robert Jenrick: Our published data can be found in the available Migration Statistics on GOV.UK, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2022/why-do-people-come-to-the-uk-to-studyThe Home Office does not publish a record of those on student visas who overstayed.

Visas: Families

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people entered the UK on family visas in each year since 1997.

Robert Jenrick: The number of people entering the UK on family visas does not form part of any current transparency data or migration statistics and is not published.The transparency data and migration statistics do, however, include a range of processing data relating to family visas and can be found at:Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)andMigration statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Data on family visas from 1997 to 2011 is not published. Data on family visas is published from 2012 onwards and can be found at:Migration statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Women and Equalities

Disability Discrimination: Public Buildings

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people with assistance dogs are not discriminated against when entering public buildings.

Stuart Andrew: No one should be refused access to businesses or services because they use a guide or other assistance dog. Under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act), businesses and public bodies that provide goods and services to the public must not unlawfully discriminate against disabled people, including those with assistance dogs. The Act places a duty on service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises, buildings and services. This could include allowing the use of assistance dogs so that disabled customers have the same access to goods and services and are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has published guidance for all businesses, including service providers, on this subject. The guidance explains that assistance dogs should be treated as auxiliary aids and not as pets. The guidance is available at: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/assistance-dogs-a-guide-for-all-businesses.pdf and makes clear that businesses and service providers should allow assistance dogs access to buildings where dogs would normally not be permitted whenever this is reasonable. Anybody who thinks that they have been discriminated against in the services offered to them - including where access to an assistance dog has been refused - can take legal action to resolve the issue. Before doing so, they might first find it useful to contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) which provides free bespoke advice and in-depth support to individuals with discrimination concerns via their website - http://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/ , or by telephone on 0808 800 0082 or by text phone on 0808 800 0084.

Cabinet Office

Yvonne Fletcher

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the preliminary report by Sir Anthony Duff into the events outside the Libyan People’s Bureau and murder of PC Yvonne Fletcher on 17 April 1984, dated 29 April 1984.

Alex Burghart: The Cabinet Office has no plans to publish the report. As is usual in the case of records relating to security and intelligence matters, it has been retained in line with the Public Records Act 1958.

Wind Power: Employment

Olivia Blake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people were employed in offshore roles in the wind industry in each year since 2015-16.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people were employed in offshore roles in the oil and gas industry in each year since 2010-11.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Questions of 17 May are attached.UK Statistics Authority (pdf, 113.3KB)

Cabinet Office: Equal Pay

Imran Hussain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if their Department will publish an Ethnicity Pay Gap Report for financial year 2023-24 in line with the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance for employers published on 17 April 2023.

Jeremy Quin: Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting is voluntary. The Cabinet Office is working with other government departments to consider the details of the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance published in April. More generally the Civil Service is undertaking extensive work both centrally and within departments to promote diversity across its workplaces, including ethnicity.

Department of Health and Social Care

Blood: Contamination

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his timetable is for (a) interim and (b) final payment of compensation to individuals (i) infected and (ii) affected by infected blood.

Maria Caulfield: The Chair of the Inquiry, Sir Brian Langstaff, published a first interim report on the subject of interim compensation for victims of infected blood.In August 2022, the Government accepted the Inquiry recommendation to make interim compensation payments to those infected and bereaved partners currently registered on United Kingdom infected blood support schemes. Payments of £100,000 were made to eligible beneficiaries by the 28 October 2022. The commitment to pay interim compensation meets, in full, the recommendations set out by Sir Brian in his first interim report.Sir Brian Langstaff published a further interim report on compensation 5 April. Work is underway across Government to consider the second report’s recommendations alongside the timetable for further interim compensation payments. We understand that time is of the essence for the infected and affected community, we are taking this matter seriously and consider it a high priority.

Radiology: Children

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the equality of access to paediatric interventional radiology services; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of those steps on (a) survival rates and (b) life-long health complications for children eligible for this care.

Helen Whately: The Surgery in Children Clinical Reference Group (CRG) provides clinical leadership and advice to NHS England and the Surgery in Children Operational Delivery Group, including on paediatric imaging and interventional radiology.The issues linked to the concerns raised about access to interventional radiology are to be presented to the Women and Children’s Programme of Care Steering Group on the 28 June 2023, discussed at the Surgery in Children Clinical Reference Group meeting on 14 July and will also be presented to the Surgery in Children Operational Delivery Networks to incorporate into their respective network work programmes during 2023/24.

Cancer: Drugs

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding to NHS England for (a) drug administration, (b) the management of side effects, (c) standardised delivery and (d) other costs for every approved Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy regime.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been made. NHS England is the responsible commissioner for systemic anti-cancer therapies.

Air Pollution: Public Health

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of which internationally recognised (a) guidelines and (b) standards are most effective at protecting public health from outdoor air pollution.

Maria Caulfield: The Government assesses a range of evidence relating to air quality standards on an ongoing basis. The United Kingdom is a founding signatory to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution. The Task Force on Health, under the Convention, led by the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe provides principal insight for the United Kingdom on guidance and standards on air pollution in relation to health.

Dementia: Health Services

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent people from developing dementia.

Helen Whately: We are focusing on the major conditions which contribute to early mortality and reduce years of good health and taking action to reduce the risk factors for cardiovascular disease that are also risk factors for vascular dementia. For example, encouraging people in mid-life to stop smoking, reduce their alcohol consumption and improve their diet to help reduce the risk of developing dementia, disability and frailty in later life.The Government recently announced that it will publish a Major Conditions Strategy which will set out a strong and coherent policy agenda that sets out a shift to integrated, whole-person care. An interim report will be published in the summer.

Defibrillators: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of defibrillators in (a) Enfield North constituency (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Helen Whately: The Department does not hold information on the number of defibrillators in Enfield North constituency, the London Borough of Enfield and London.The British Heart Foundation, in partnership with the Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK), the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives and the National Health Service, have set up The Circuit: the national defibrillator network database.The Circuit provides a national database of where defibrillators can be found so that ambulance services can identify the nearest defibrillator at the time of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The Circuit is live in in all ambulance services across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Social Services: Career Development

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his timetable is for launching a new care workforce pathway for adult social care.

Helen Whately: We intend to publish the first part of the care workforce pathway, focused on staff in direct care roles, in autumn 2023. Following this, further phases of the pathway will be developed, focusing on other roles such as Personal Assistants and Registered Managers.

Electronic Cigarettes: Children

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the fines for retailers which sell vaping products to young people under the age of eighteen.

Neil O'Brien: No assessment has been made of the adequacy of the fines for retailers which sell vaping products to young people under the age of 18 years old.However, a post implementation review of The Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and Proxy Purchasing) Regulations 2015 was published in January 2021 and is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/957073/pir-tobacco-legislation-web-accessible.pdfThe review concluded that the legislation had met its objectives.We are fully aware of issues around youth vaping and have recently launched a youth vaping call for evidence. We will assess a range of options based on the evidence provided, including potential future changes to vaping policy and regulation.

Dementia: Diagnosis

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve dementia diagnosis rates across the country.

Helen Whately: In December 2022, the recovery of the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7% was included in the National Health Service priorities and operational planning guidance as part of the refined mental health objectives for 2023/24. This reinforces the importance of dementia as a key priority for NHS England and provides a clear direction for integrated care boards to support delivery of timely diagnoses within systems.

Diabetes: Health Services

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are accessing type one diabetes services in each Integrated Care System; and how many specialist health and care workers are trained to onboard patients onto diabetes technology in each Integrated Care System in the latest period for which data is available.

Helen Whately: The following table shows the number of people accessing type one diabetes services in each Integrated Care Board (ICB). It is not possible to provide data on how many specialist health and care workers are trained to onboard patients onto diabetes technology in each ICB.ICBPatients with Type 1 Diabetes who attended specialist servicesNHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB1,815NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB1,870NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB290NHS Black Country ICB1,475NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB140NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB4,225NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB2,340NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB5,275NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly ICB60NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB1,470NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB2,990NHS Devon ICB355NHS Dorset ICB1,990NHS Frimley ICB1,070NHS Gloucestershire ICB85NHS Greater Manchester ICB4,385NHS Hampshire and the Isle of Wight ICB2,740NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB1,970NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB3,385NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB3,555NHS Kent and Medway ICB3,540NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB1,250NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB2,620NHS Lincolnshire ICB2,125NHS Mid and South Essex ICB1,340NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB3,335NHS North Central London ICB2,000NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB8,440NHS North East London ICB890NHS North West London ICB3,005NHS Northamptonshire ICB220NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB1,975NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB135NHS Somerset ICB1,100NHS South East London ICB3,930NHS South West London ICB2,095NHS South Yorkshire ICB2,445NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB795NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB3,320NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB2,155NHS Sussex ICB4,685NHS West Yorkshire ICB3,855 Notes:In line with The National Diabetes Audit disclosure control rules, all numbers are rounded to the nearest five, unless the number is one to seven, in which case it is rounded to five.People in the 2021/22 The National Diabetes Audit data collection have been mapped to an ICB through their general practitioner practice.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on the delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services.

Will Quince: Since the delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services was published in January 2023, a detailed demand and capacity planning exercise has been undertaken with all 42 integrated care boards to ensure the commitment of an additional 5,000 general and acute beds will be delivered in addition to other interventions, including same day emergency care, virtual wards and intermediate care. Plans have also been agreed with Ambulance Trusts to increase ambulance capacity across England.

Electronic Cigarettes: Young People

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle online content targeted at young people that promotes vaping.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessments he has made of the adequacy of branding and packaging regulations for e-cigarettes manufacturers in ensuring those goods do not appeal to children and teenagers under the age of 18.

Neil O'Brien: We have regulations in place to discourage underage vaping. The law protects children through restricting sales of vapes to over 18 year olds only, limiting nicotine content, refill bottle and tank sizes, labelling requirements and through advertising restrictions.The Department continues to work with the Advertising Standards Authority to enforce the current set of regulations and to work with platforms to improve their community guidelines.However, given the changing circumstances surrounding vapes, the Government has launched a call for evidence on youth vaping to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products. This explores issues such as the appearance and packaging of vapes, their marketing, branding and promotion, and the role of social media.The call for evidence will close on Tuesday 6 June. Following this, the Government will consider a range of options based on the evidence provided, including potential changes to vaping policy and regulations.

Electronic Cigarettes: Regulation

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve the enforcement on regulations standards for vape pens.

Neil O'Brien: In April 2023, the Government announced £3 million of funding for a new national illicit vaping enforcement unit to tackle illicit and underage vape sales across the country. This will improve the enforcement of our regulations related to a range of products including vape pens.We also launched a call for evidence on youth vaping which issues related to regulatory compliance. Once this closes on 6 June 2023, the Government will assess a range of options based on the evidence provided, including potential future changes to vaping policy and regulation.

Mortality Rates

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the data published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities entitled Excess Mortality in England, published on 12 May 2023, if he will commission an investigation into the reasons for trends in the level of (a) unexpected deaths from cardiovascular causes and (b) extra deaths in people under the age of 64 in last 12 months.

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will conduct an investigation into the excess deaths in England in the last 12 months.

Neil O'Brien: The Department has no plans to commission an investigation into the excess deaths in England in the last 12 months but will continue to monitor and report on levels of excess deaths. A combination of factors has contributed to an increase in the number of deaths, including high flu prevalence, the ongoing challenges of COVID-19 and health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.On 24 January 2023, the Government announced that it will publish a Major Conditions Strategy and an interim report will be published in the summer. The strategy will set out a strong and coherent policy agenda that sets out a shift to integrated, whole-person care. The strategy will tackle conditions that contribute most to morbidity and mortality across the population in England including, cancers, cardiovascular disease, including stroke and diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, dementia, mental ill health and musculoskeletal conditions. Interventions set out in the strategy will aim to alleviate pressure on the health system, as well as support the Government’s objective to increase healthy life expectancy and reduce ill-health related labour market inactivity.

Smoking: Health Services

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of WHO's implementation of harm reduction strategies to help reduce smoking; and will he make a statement.

Neil O'Brien: The Department has not made an assessment on the effectiveness of World Health Organization’s implementation of harm reduction strategies to help reduce smoking. We have no future plans to perform an assessment or issue a statement.

Global Tobacco Regulators Forum

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the members of the delegation which attended the Global Tobacco Regulators Forum in 2023.

Neil O'Brien: One official from the Department’s tobacco control policy team attended to represent the United Kingdom as a lead and expert in tobacco control policy. It is not Department policy to publish the names below SCS1 that attend events.

Primary Health Care: Pharmacy

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, published on 9 May 2023, what steps his Department is taking to improve IT connectivity between community pharmacies and other parts of the NHS.

Neil O'Brien: The Delivery plan commits to significantly improving the digital infrastructure between general practice and community pharmacy by introducing interoperable digital solutions to support secure communications between general practice and community pharmacies. Community pharmacists will be able to access patients’ records, view previous interventions and results, and populate those records with standardised messages related to the services provided in community pharmacy and referrals will be enabled from general practice to community pharmacies and between pharmacies.

Integrated Care Boards: Dentistry

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many integrated care boards include representatives of dentists.

Neil O'Brien: The information requested is not held centrally.

Evusheld

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to help ensure that vulnerable groups who require the Evusheld vaccine are able to participate fully in society.

Maria Caulfield: The Living with Covid Strategy sets out three key objectives to protect the vulnerable, maintain resilience, and continue the transition to managing COVID-19 wherever possible and clinically appropriate, as we do with any other respiratory virus through business as usual public health activities. Appropriate levels of testing will remain to support diagnosis for clinical care and treatment and to protect very high-risk individuals and settings. Those who are clinically extremely vulnerable and immunocompromised are part of the group who are eligible for COVID-19 treatments in the community, enabling them easy access to anti-viral treatments. High-risk individuals are also part of the priority cohort in line for booster vaccines. The Government will continue to consider the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on future vaccine selection and booster programmes for those at greatest risk. However, as we learn to live safely with COVID-19, there are actions we should all take to help reduce the risk of catching COVID-19 and passing it on to others. Vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent serious illness from catching COVID-19.

Incontinence: Health Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of patients in England and Wales with continence care needs; and what steps is he taking to ensure that such patients have access to (a) the most clinically appropriate products for their needs and (b) an adequate supply of clinically appropriate products.

Will Quince: The Department and NHS England do not centrally hold information on the number of patients in England and Wales with continence care needs.Continence care needs may be managed by individuals in a range of ways, products can be bought from supermarkets, pharmacies or mail order and are available on prescription under the National Health Service. For a continence product to be able to be prescribed, it must be listed on ‘Part IX’ of the Drug Tariff.There are over 3,000 listed continence products on Part IX available to be prescribed. Of these, over 1,700 are catheters. On application to Part IX, an assessment of products is made to check they are safe and of good quality, are appropriate for prescribing and are cost-effective.As part of the Government’s inaugural MedTech strategy, there is a focus on improving MedTech used in the community, including continence care products. Proposals on changes to Part IX of the Drug Tariff are being consulted on this summer. The Government wants to improve comparison of products on Part IX by making it more transparent so that clinicians are better informed and provide the right products for each individual patient. The Government will continue to support provision of a range of continence products on Part IX of the Drug Tariff.

Health Services: Ventilation

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to update the health technical memorandum entitled HTM-03-01 on specialised ventilation for healthcare buildings.

Will Quince: The Health Technical Memorandum Specialised ventilation for healthcare buildings was updated and published on 22 June 2021 and there are no plans to update it at this time.Additional related guidance was issued on 9 May 2023 on the application of high-efficiency particulate absorbing filter devices for air cleaning in healthcare spaces and the application of ultraviolet devices for air cleaning in occupied healthcare spaces.This is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/application-of-ultraviolet-uvc-devices-for-air-cleaning-in-occupied-healthcare-spaces-guidance-and-standards/

Vaccination

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish a vaccine strategy.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department will publish the Government’s Vaccine Strategy.

Maria Caulfield: Development of a vaccine strategy remains under review given the evolving understanding from the COVID-19 vaccination programme, the existing seasonal flu and the 12 national immunisation programmes.

Care Homes: Standards

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure (a) consistency and (b) adequate monitoring of care standards in care homes.

Maria Caulfield: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and adult social care in England. The CQC monitor, inspect and regulate services, including care homes. To ensure consistency in their approach to regulating providers, the CQC assess all providers against the fundamental standards of quality and safety.Where concerns on quality or safety are identified, the CQC have a wealth of enforcement powers available and will take swift action to ensure the safety of service users. This could include publishing actions a provider must take to make improvements, restricting a service’s operation or in cases of significant concern, taking action which would lead to the closure of a service. All of these are designed to ensure providers act quickly to improve the quality of care they are delivering.CQC will continue to engage with providers to monitor services and will act on feedback received from people who use services, their families and other stakeholders when concerns are raised about the quality of care.

Air Pollution: Standards

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on differential impacts (a) geographically and (b) by socioeconomic group of poor (i) outdoor and (ii) indoor air quality.

Maria Caulfield: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) produces annual estimates of the fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution (outdoor air quality) within the Public Health Outcomes Framework for England. The indicator values are estimated at different geographical levels including local authorities and regions, and at different deprivation deciles. UKHSA does not hold information on differential geographical and socioeconomic impacts of indoor air quality.

Air Pollution: Greater London

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2023 to Question 183644 on Air Pollution: Greater London, whether the estimates of the fraction of mortality are attributable to (a) anthropogenic particulate air pollution or (b) total concentrations of particulate matter.

Maria Caulfield: The UK Health Security Agency publishes estimates of the fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution in local authorities and regions annually, as an indicator within the Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF) for England, this is available at the following link:https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/public-health-outcomes-framework/data#page/0/gid/1000043/pat/15/par/E92000001/ati/6/are/E12000007/cid/4/page-options/ovw-do-0The fractions of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution in Greater London for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 stated in PQ185732 are based on the PHOF Indicator D01. The calculation of the DO1 indicator uses concentrations of total PM2.5 for estimating the mortality burden attributable to particulate air pollution.

Ministry of Justice

Office of the Public Guardian: Correspondence

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, will he make an assessment of the adequacy of correspondence response times for Office of the Public Guardian.

Mike Freer: The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) corresponds with customers daily through its call centre, by email and by post, and aims to respond promptly to all forms of correspondence. Customers who have a query and email OPG’s customer services inbox receive an automatic acknowledgement before it is passed to the relevant team for a full response. If correspondence is in the form of a complaint, it is dealt with by the dedicated complaints teams. Complaints are initially dealt with by the relevant Tier 1 Complaints Team, who aim to send a full reply to the customer within 10 working days. If a customer is dissatisfied with the Tier 1 reply, or if any correspondence is received from MPs, these are dealt with by the Tier 2 Complaints Team, who also aim to provide full replies within 10 working days. OPG is below its target response times primarily due to the high volume of correspondence and complaints received during the year. OPG is focussed on improving the customer experience and recovery plans are in place to return to the target response times by increasing staffing and the use of overtime to meet demand. Data on complaint response times will be included in OPG’s annual report, which is being finalised and will be laid in Parliament and published online before the summer recess.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

Mike Freer: This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.We take our environmental responsibilities seriously and regularly review and maintain our estate in order to prevent sewage spills wherever possible.

Powers of Entry: Meters

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2023 to Question 184838, what his Department's planned timescale is for the review on improvements to the information held on warrant applications; and if he will make a statement upon the conclusion of that review.

Mike Freer: It is not yet possible to commit to a timescale for a decision on the improvements to be made to the collection of information concerning applications for rights of entry warrants by energy firms. This is because any changes would need to be applied to the systems and processes of both HM Courts and Tribunals Service and the energy firms. Changes need to be costed, agreed, and prioritised against other system changes, following consultation with the judiciary.

Criminal Proceedings

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the average time for a criminal case to be heard in court without a Section 28 video recording.

Mike Freer: HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) does not hold information on the average time for a criminal case to be heard in court without via Section 28 video recording. Data provide by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) shows for all cases disposed in the Crown Court that were received between 2020-01-01 and 2022-12-31 and the defendant plead ‘not guilty’, the median time between receipt and the main hearing was 280 days for cases without any Section 28. For the same cases, the median time between the receipt and the completion of the case was 372 days where there was no use of Section 28. The figures supplied have been produced via experimental data matching based partly on live operational systems. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that figures provided are accurate and complete, they have not been verified to the same standards as National Statistics and may not exactly match the equivalent data in the Criminal Court Statistics publication.

Marriage: Ceremonies

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he will make it his policy to recognise Handfastings as a legal ceremony of marriage.

Mike Freer: In July 2019, the Government invited the Law Commission to undertake a wholesale review on weddings law in England and Wales. The Law Commission report was published on 19 July 2022 and contains 57 recommendations for extensive legislative reform. We must now take the time to consider the report recommendations fully. As has been set out in Parliament, marriage will always be one of our most important institutions, and we have a duty to consider the implications of any changes to the law in this area very carefully. We will publish a response to the report in due course.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Equal Pay

Imran Hussain: To ask the Attorney General, if their Department will publish an Ethnicity Pay Gap Report for financial year 2023-24 in line with the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance for employers published on 17 April 2023.

Michael Tomlinson: The Government Legal Department [GLD] is currently considering the best way to approach Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting in the Civil Service and is working with Civil Service HR colleagues and other government departments through the details of the reporting guidance published on 17 April 2023.The Civil Service is looking to develop Ethnicity Pay Gap Reporting in line with current Gender Pay Gap Reporting. The outcomes of this development work will inform whether we are able to publish a report for 2023/2024.

Attorney General: Artificial Intelligence

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Attorney General, how many members of the public are subjected to automated decision-making in the Attorney General’s Office.

Michael Tomlinson: No members of the public are subject to automated decision-making in the Attorney General's Office.

Treasury

Night Shelter Transformation Fund: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of whether there will be a Barnett consequential for Northern Ireland in respect of the Night Shelter Transformation Fund.

John Glen: The Night Shelter Transformation Fund is being funded from within existing Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities budgets. The Northern Ireland Executive have already received funding through the Barnett formula in relation to existing Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities budgets. A full breakdown of Barnett-based funding provided to the Northern Ireland Executive is published in Block Grant Transparency, which is due to be updated shortly.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

Gareth Davies: HM Treasury’s offices are managed by government property services providers, either the Government Property Agency, HM Revenue and Customs or the Cabinet Office. This includes wastewater management and therefore HM Treasury does not hold this information.

Water Companies: Taxation

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to impose additional taxes on the profits of water companies.

Gareth Davies: From April 2023, the Corporate Tax (CT) rate increased from 19% to 25% for the most profitable companies with more than £50,000 of profits per annum. This ensures a greater contribution from the most profitable companies. The Government keeps the UK tax system under constant review to ensure fairness for all taxpayers.

Department for Business and Trade

Motor Vehicles: Exports

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment his Department has made of global demand for UK automotive exports.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Global demand and interest in UK automotive exports is high. 80% of all cars made in the UK are exported, with nearly 60% of those going to the EU, and just under 15% to the USA. The Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders reported that in 2022 the automotive industry contributed £32 billion in exports (10% of total UK goods exports). UK factories made record numbers of electrified vehicles, boosting their exports to £1.3 billion and British commercial vehicle exports surged by 63.4%. Our trade deals will further increase export opportunities for UK automotive businesses through tariff removal, flexible rules of origin, and efficient customs procedures. This will ensure the UK automotive sector continues to meet the overseas demand for UK cars.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy Bills Rebate

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent progress his Department has made on ensuring that people without a permanent address can access the Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding.

Amanda Solloway: The Government has been engaging with key stakeholder groups who represent those households without a permanent address. Officials are working to establish whether there is a robust method for these households to provide proof of eligibility, whilst protecting public funds, so they can claim the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding support.

Energy: Prices

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will take steps to introduce legislation to enable the introduction of a social energy tariff.

Amanda Solloway: The Government is working with consumer groups and industry to explore the best approach to consumer protection from April 2024 as part of wider retail market reforms. As set out in the Energy Security Plan, the Government intends to consult on these options in summer 2023.